The Italian conductor has written and recorded some of the most iconic film scores ever.

“The Queen of Soul” is considered one of the best singers ever. She performed at three presidential inaugurations.

The Queen of Gospel stood up for civil rights and was friends with Dr. Martin Luther King.

The North Carolina band blended the blistering sounds of punk with classic country.

Rockabilly guitar and off-kilter harmonies were two hallmarks of this L.A. band.

They called him the Man in Black. Many of his songs — about sorrow, sin, and regret — matched his attire.

Popular during the Great Depression, the family set the standard for what country music would become.

Part of the Native Tongues collective, the hip-hop group layered Afrobeat rhythms, jazz samples, and playful lyrics.

He was a musical prodigy as a child, and is one of the most innovative, influential musicians of our time.

They combined disco and punk into “new wave,” but their rhythm template came from Africa.

He was the inventor of the Afrobeat, but he was equally known as a civil rights activist.

Known for their outrageous shows, the Oklahoma City band was influenced by everyone from Led Zeppelin to “The Wizard of Oz.”

The 1939 film used vivid characters, bright colors, and memorable music to create magic.

She’s one of our generation’s best songwriters, weaving together stories from the rural South.

The “hillbilly Shakespeare” had a hard, short life, but he left great songs that still stand, 70 years later.

One of the first punk bands, their music combined reggae beats, high energy, and social consciousness.

Ska music in the 1950s begat reggae music in the 1960s. He was its biggest star.

They had a “cult following” for years, playing small venues, before making it big.

They weren’t around long, nor were they famous. But their influence has been felt for years.

Big band, Western swing, gospel, and country — punctuated with a sharp eye and dry wit.